How to Develop Your Intuition: The Tools That Can Help
Anyone here remember John Edward? The once famous TV psychic was at once stage considered one of a kind. These days he seems to have been swept up in the tsunami of psychics saturating the world via the internet. If you re asking how to develop your intuition, you may mean one of two things. Either you are asking how to develop ESP, or you are asking how to build your ‘gut feeling’. Let’s assume the existence of true psychic abilities is something real. The gut feeling and the ESP are not a difference in qualities, but more a difference in volume. What begins with a gut feeling, when amplified and tuned can become flat-out psychic abilities.
Getting your motivation right
This section of the article was initially called ‘The benefits of developing your intuition’. I changed it. Intuition is not something that I am trying to sell, so you don’t need to know the benefits. What is truly important is that you don’t use your intuition to hurt others. In some circles, it is said that the difference between black magic and white magic comes down to motivation. Sure, magic is one of those words we aren’t allowed to use in our modern world, but the point is that whatever skill you are developing, it can easily be used for good or bad. As they say, with great power comes great responsibility. Perhaps this is something that our politicians could pay attention to. What I am saying here is that if you do find yourself developing your intuition, please try not to use it to manipulate people. If you use it to benefit others, it will grow into a skill that becomes very clear. If you begin with the wrong motivation from the beginning, it is more likely to end up hurting you than anyone else.
The Gut is the ‘Second Brain’
It is widely accepted now that the gut is not just a squishy place where food is digested. The gut is a complex system of neurotransmitters similar to the brain.
This mind-gut connection is not just metaphorical. Our brain and gut are connected by an extensive network of neurons and a highway of chemicals and hormones that constantly provide feedback about how hungry we are, whether or not we’re experiencing stress, or if we’ve ingested a disease-causing microbe. This information superhighway is called the brain-gut axis and it provides constant updates on the state of affairs at your two ends. That sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach after looking at your post-holiday credit card bill is a vivid example of the brain-gut connection at work. You’re stressed and your gut knows it—immediately (Source)
Some researchers might even go as far as to say that the gut is the primary brain. Perhaps one of the issues we have as humans is that we are ‘all head’ – meaning we spend so much time using our upper-brain to think that we have become disconnected from our lower brain. Perhaps we have become so accustomed to the workings of the mind feeling like thinking. So, now any other kind of intuitive feelings about things we dismiss as our own fears and conditioning.
Developing your Intuition
While many are born with a natural intuition, it’s important to remember that we all are intuitive beings from the start.
Over time, we’ve been taught to rely more on media, society, and other external forms validation to tell us what we need and what we should do.
This doesn’t mean that you’ve lost your ability to be intuitive for good. By practising a few exercises on a regular basis, you’ll be able to return to your intuitive state of mind.
Journaling
Many of our intuitive thoughts happen on a subconscious level. Unfortunately, we spend the majority of our time functioning from a conscious level thinking about what we should be doing next.
Sit down in a common relaxing place and allow yourself to freely Journal whatever comes into your head.
Do your best not to filter whatever comes into your mind, remember this journal is for your eyes and your eyes only. The more you write from the stream-of-consciousness the more you’ll see that you intuitively have the answers that you’re already looking for.
Meditation
Many of today’s top CEOs and Founders spend at least half an hour each day in seated meditation.
The reason why meditation is the key element in many successful individuals’ daily routine, is the fact that it allows them to function from a heightened sense of awareness.
By meditating you’ll be more aware of the thoughts that come from your emotions, so you’ll know when you’re being reactive rather than responsive.
With training, you’ll be able to gradually silence your ego, and make decisions from an intuitive state that allows you to operate from a more clear-headed place.
Don’t Ignore Your Dreams
When we sleep it’s our subconscious opportunity to take control and communicate with us whatever we may be needing.
This is why many people have recurring dreams and why some dreams tend to be more memorable than others.
Try to avoid the urge to brush off a dream when you wake up, instead pay attention to what your subconscious mind may be trying to tell you.
Dreams are very rarely literal. Often the individuals that are in your dreams represent key parts of your emotions or your own personality.
Your dreams may be able to tell you when you’re feeling resistant to a change or decision, when an individual in your life is holding you back from opportunities, or when you have an important decision that you’ve been ignoring.
Keeping a journal next to your bed specifically for dreams is an ideal way to write down everything you remember as soon as you wake up. The longer you wait to write down your dream the less clear the details will be.
Write down your dream exactly as you remember it and give it a bit of space. Return to it later in the day or discuss it with your therapist to better analyze what your dream may be trying to tell you.
Find a Creative Outlet
We spend a great deal of our day operating from the analytical side of our brains, not giving our creative side the opportunity it needs to roam free.
Again, this is one area where our subconscious is frequently ignored. By having a creative outlet such as painting, writing, or photography, we can start to notice the patterns within our subconscious mind and can lean into a more intuitive nature.
Escaping from it All
Sometimes the best way to know how to develop your intuition is to take a break from the everyday circumstances and trials that face us on a daily basis.
We can do this by taking a trip to a faraway destination, on facing a major obstacle such as addiction by checking into a rehab facility that’s able to tend to our needs.
Remember, our intuition tells us when the hard choices need to be made, and can guide us to the places we’ll be most supported in making the changes we need.
Transformation starts here
Taking that first step towards recovery is one of the most powerful things you can do. If you or a family member need help and you want to get the best treatment possible, get in touch with us now. With over twenty years of helping people to find peace in recovery, we are South East Asia’s Premier Addiction Treatment Centre.
